“Get your Cameras Ready…”

2011 PipeHitters Classic Recap – WOD 2

“Get your Cameras ready!!!”
This is what Apollo called out to the crowd as he spun his fist in the air in the middle of the ring in Rocky 2. What happened next?
Apollo dropped Rock like a bad habit, but he got right back up.

This parallels the athletes’ feelings going into WOD 2 at last Saturday’s PipeHitters Classic. Favorites had fallen in the ranking after the gut check of WOD 1 and some new faces pulled out in front. But just like Rocky, these athletes were all Game. And they were gonna bounce back up.

But Just like Apollo, there were some specialists waiting in the weeds and foaming at the mouth for WOD 2. They were calling out for the crowd to “Get Your Cameras Ready!!!”

WOD 27 Minutes Max Weight Shoulder to Overhead

Athletes were called inside the walls of SODO Crossfit for the standard announcements of the second workout. A huge catch of bumper plates and metal filled the center of the rubber covered floor. Five racks were set in an “L” shape around the perimeter of the room.

The workout was described in painfully simple terms: You would be assigned a judge and a platform. You would be given 7 minutes to load weight from the catch in the middle of the floor onto the bar and attempt to lock out the heaviest shoulder to overhead lift you could support.

You could have as many attempts as you like, and all variety of movements were put into place. Push press, Power Jerk, Split Jerk, Rack Jerk, Split Rack… and I’m pretty sure I saw a rack press in there as well.

With some top competitors needing big lifts to get back in it, you could see it in their faces. Game.

The women started out the event and it never slowed down. Two letters spelled out everone’s goal:

P.R.

Ten, twenty, thirty pounds… these women were not going to be stopped. Gravity?“Fuck Gravity”
as a friend of mine always says. If gravity grabbed the bar, the girls would slam it back to the deck in response and let out a siren like scream.

The siren screams weren’t only in defiance but in pure excitement. Those leading into the event jumped under attempt after attempt to avoid the standings “Log Jam” that was occuring at 135 pounds. Last year’s runner up, Carrie Winecoff, placed the bar on her back and jumped 165#’s up so high there was no need to rebend, it was straight pressout. Game.

Michelle Beckman nearly escaped a bad dump from a rack jerk and opted to go back out front for a split jerk at 155# and rocked out a PR. She wasn’t alone out front as Emily Kent worked up to a solid 160# Power Jerk.

But this was just the beginning.

Contender Rachel Siemens, who had just been a member of the third placing affliate team at the Crossfit Games, was looking to get back in with a submitted opening weight of 185. But she wouldn’t get the chance to be the first to that weight.

Martha WoodRuff of Crossfit BC had entered the competiton with an established 200 pound jerk. And when her bar was loaded to 205#, everyone got their cameras ready, Game.
Martha walked out 205 pounds, bounced her hands out and jerked that bar with some serious stank, PR.
Banshee scream of joy, fist pump, then the call… “Load 215,” Game.

Every competitor stopped, every judge looked over and the crowd got quiet. There was one expolsive jump and the sound of feet stomping. Martha had caught 215 pounds, she was still holding. The crowd exploded as she stood and recieved the call of “Good Lift!”

Rachel would take the platform after her and throw up some big weight that would land her with a 15 pound PR and 205 on the board… but it wouldn’t be enought to catch Martha who would take the top spot in workout 2 for the women.

Time for the Men.

Upon the announcement of the “any way, any how,” the men had been chomping at the bit for their 7 minutes. Top contenders needed to rally back, but a few hidden levithans were chalking up for this event as well.

If you were to catch anything from the girls, the drive to move big weight would definitly be it. And after the boys had seen the girls lay out, they attacked each lift, Game.Jay Dobberstien went the route few travel and tossed out a 255 push press in his first competition. Sean Wells still hadn’t found his shirt in WOD 2 and was off to a strong start with a simple and efficient power jerk. As I made my rounds of the platforms, I turned to Sean and commented on something I had just noticed.
“Suicide grip huh?”
Sean smiled right back, “Yup, keeping it gangster.”
That comment among some other words I’ll leave out we’re a small highlight of my day. He’d get to 265 going old school (and isn’t PipeHitters all about Old School) but it wouldn’t be enough to clear the standings “Log Jam” for the men. If you wanted to clear it, you’d have to put up more than 275… and athletes were laying out for it. Five athletes would reach the Log Jam, including current leader Skylar Pond with a 20 pound PR on the lockout.

It didn’t stop there. Blake Johnson would get the call at 285, and Wes Seeman would stand with 295. Tim Preston would get his lift with mere seconds left securing a 300# rack jerk.

It would turn out 300 was the gate way to the top 3 lifts in the event. Jordan Holland chalked up a 315 rack split, but he wasnt the only 3 wheel lifter. Not only did Wes Seeman hit 295, but he also caught and and held 315. And unlike all our other 300+ lifters in the event, Was the only athlete jerking from the front. This is pretty sick considering Wes is one of my athletes and I remember when we celebarted his first 315 SQUAT, Game.

Above three wheels was top 3. Aaron Engstrom of Rainer Crossfit would take third with his 325 rack split, along with defending champion Ryan Andrews getting 335 in similar fashion. But that wasn’t the “Get your cameras ready,” lift of the mens division.

The silent levithan of WOD 1 was ready to sell out on this WOD. Big Johnny Winters who’s submitted totals going into this competition were a 335 Split Jerk, 525 Deadlift, and a 545 Squat was ready to bang.

John’s effortless 315 and 345 already had first place locked down. But the big man was there to PR. And to do that, he needed 375 pounds. Damned if he didn’t jump and dance with the devil twice almost securing it on his second attempt, but not that day. Next time, but still good enough for a clear victory in workout 2 for the men.

As the adrenline died down, all athletes eagerly awaited what WOD 3 would be…
Next time: WOD 3 – The Soul Breaker

Agreed. Ryan and I were with the kids on the “balcony” watching WOD 2 and so had prime spots to watch all the lifters as well as the crowd. You could not help but scream and cheer when a big lift was made, as well a groan when a big one was narrowly missed.